


Gay Chicken

by twinklingpaopufruit



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Bottom Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Bottom Yoon Jeonghan, Debut Era, Edited, Fluff, Idol Verse, M/M, Romance, Smut, Switching, non-au, reupload
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:15:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28585578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinklingpaopufruit/pseuds/twinklingpaopufruit
Summary: Joshua explains to Seungcheol and Jeonghan the concept of gay chicken.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 22
Kudos: 163





	1. The Game

Seungcheol recalled with utmost clarity the first time Jeonghan had entered the practice room. 

The new addition to their growing group came to stand in front of the trainees. The CEO stood beside the newcomer. Their boss spoke in loud, confident tones as he introduced him. Seungcheol listened avidly but never took his eyes off the new trainee. Immediately, his body went tight, and his stomach flipped. 

Worry for the group's fate consumed him. How would this other trainee fit in with the dynamics of their tight-knit group? Was a seventeen member group really a wise idea? Seungcheol did not think so, but he had to hold his tongue with such comments. 

He had been denied debuting with Tempest; he could not question management. Restlessness settled deep inside him with the burning desire of wanting to debut. He wasn't going to throw all those years to waste. Not when he had been denied once already. Not when he had been here for so long. Not when he was one of the older ones. So, he had to be careful with what was said. 

The new trainee looked nervously among the others until he caught Seungcheol's intense gaze. 

Seungcheol's reeled back in slight shock as the other smiled at him. He noticed that it was not a very wide smile. It was small, barely an upturn of lips. 

But, it was the most genuine smile Seungcheol had ever seen. 

Unable to help himself, Seungcheol reciprocated the gesture with his own eye-scrunching smile.

"Seungcheol," Their CEO voiced sternly.

Seungcheol snapped his head to his boss, mouth parting in shock. An excuse was ready. 

Their CEO only gave him a fond smile. 

"Jeonghan is only two months younger than you," Their CEO spoke. "Please make sure to show him around." 

With that, their CEO left the room, and Jeonghan was left unguarded. The members immediately crowded around him, asking him as many invasive questions as they could.

Seungcheol sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew the younger ones meant no ill-intention toward Jeonghan, but they were overbearing. Seungcheol prepared himself to reprimand them so Jeonghan could get some breathing room, but he was startled when Jeonghan spoke up in a very fond yet stern voice. 

"Yah! Back off. I'll answer your questions one by one; calm down."

The members nodded, and all sat down as one on the practice room floor to await their turn. Jeonghan looked at the group surrounding him; he had on that same small smile from before. 

Seungcheol remained standing as he looked at Jeonghan with awe. Jeonghan met his eyes above the others. 

And at that moment, Seungcheol knew he had found an equal. 

|~~*~~|

It started during their pre-debut days, among the sweaty hour-long practices, crowded rooms, and boisterous shouts. Seungcheol's worries had fizzled to nearly zero. Jeonghan had fit perfectly into their group. Not only was he a talented singer and dancer, but he was also a great friend whose personality mixed well with the others. Seungcheol couldn't even remember why he had been worried.

He took a long clear breath. The group had finished an intense practice session and were taking a break. Seungcheol was sitting beside Jeonghan, leaning against the cool mirror. They watched the other members collapsed in other areas of the practice room. The two chuckled at their states.

"You think they are going to make it to the dorms?" Jeonghan questioned.

"Maybe. I think a few of them might need to be carried."

"Good thing we can count on your strong muscles." Jeonghan teased and squeezed his bicep.

Seungcheol turned his head, so he was facing Jeonghan. He pouted, "You're not going to help me?"

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes in thought, "I'll carry Jihoon...maybe."

"He weighs like fifty kilograms; that's not fair."

Jeonghan mirrored his pout. "But I'm not as strong as you."

"And whose fault is that?"

"No ones. You're the one who decided that hitting the gym every day was a good idea. All it's given you is the responsibility of carrying everyone back home." 

Seungcheol smiled. "You are so lazy."

"Am not."

Seungcheol leaned in, "Are too."

Jeonghan leaned in closer. "Am not."

And closer, "Are too."

Seungcheol could feel Jeonghan's breath, their lips almost touching. He knew rationally he should pull away, but this teasing banter he regularly engaged in with Jeonghan was too much fun.

"Am not." Jeonghan breathed.

_"—What are you two doing?"_

Seungcheol and Jeonghan immediately widened the distance between them. They looked up at Joshua standing above them with an amused smirk. He moved to sit cross-legged in front of them. 

"Playing gay chicken?" He asked in English.

Seungcheol furrowed his brows. Joshua rolled his eyes and translated for them. 

"Playing what?" Jeonghan asked. Seungcheol was confused as well. 

"It's a game some people play in America. Straight people play it to see who chickens out first. People will do 'gay things,'" he made air quotes, "Like pretending to kiss, or actually kissing, groping each other, dry humping to see who is the first one to pull away."

"Why do you know this?" Seungcheol asked indignantly to hide the blush appearing high on his cheeks, "Weren't you in church groups?" 

"Church groups were an enlightening experience," Joshua smirked.

Jeonghan tilted his head, "So...the objective of the game is not to pull away first?"

"Yup." 

"Huh." Jeonghan glanced at Seungcheol with a twinkle in his eyes. "That sounds like fun."

|~~*~~|

A few hours later, Seungcheol was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Jeonghan was behind him, brushing his teeth as well. After arriving home and depositing the members in their beds, Seungcheol had thrown his clothes in the dirty hamper. He stood at the sink, wearing his boxers and socks. Jeonghan was in a similar state of dress but had remembered to change into a fresh t-shirt. 

Seungcheol spat into the sink, "You could have helped me carry Chan back home," he criticized with a mouth full of foam. 

Jeonghan maneuvered around him and spit into the sink next. He continued brushing his teeth and mumbled, "I was carrying the bags."

Seungcheol sent him a half-hearted glare through the mirror. 

"Hey." Jeonghan spat again and rinsed his mouth. "I helped everyone get to bed."

Seungcheol couldn't argue with that. When they arrived back at the dorms, somehow, all life had been restored to every member. Jeonghan helped calm everyone down and finally sent everyone to bed. Now, they were the only two awake.

"You're right. Thanks," Seungcheol muttered. 

Jeonghan gave him a soft smile. Suddenly, Jeonghan moved to stand behind him. Two firm and cold hands were placed on his waist, and pointy chin tucked itself on his bare shoulder. 

Seungcheol sighed in contentment and continued brushing his teeth. He felt Jeonghan's fingers flutter to his stomach and rub soothing circles on his bare stomach. Seungcheol naturally liked affection, so he leaned into the touch and made eye contact with him through the mirror. It was strange that Jeonghan was touching him so intimately; typically, he only clung to the youngest members. Seungcheol wasn't going to comment on it, especially when it felt this nice. It most likely meant Jeonghan wanted to be closer to him. 

Seungcheol was close to everyone. He and Jeonghan had become friends since their first encounter, but they hadn't crossed the line to become best friends yet. Seungcheol would love to have Jeonghan be his best friend. He saw how Jeonghan treated the younger ones. He wouldn't mind some of that attention sent his way. 

Abruptly, and with no warning, Jeonghan's fingers dipped into the waistline of his boxers. Fingernails scratched dangerously close to his pubic hair, and Seungcheol nearly choked on his toothbrush. He bent over the sink, successfully pushing Jeonghan away. He coughed a few times to regain his breath but was quick to stand and brandish his toothbrush like a weapon. 

"What are you doing?" He shrieked, foam spitting out of his mouth like a rabid dog. 

Jeonghan moved to stand against the door and grinned widely, "I win."

"Huh?" Foam trickled down his chin and splattered against the tile. 

"Gay chicken. I win." 

It took a moment too long to realize what Jeonghan was talking about. Seungcheol groaned. He reached over and rinsed his mouth. "You are ridiculous," he decided to respond, seeking to avoid the embarrassment of Jeonghan's fingers near his junk.

Seungcheol stood straight enough to catch Jeonghan in the mirror, shrug, and nonchalantly say, "Nah, just bored."

He turned and leaned against the sink, so they were face to face. "Just don't do it again."

"Why? Don't want to play?"

"No."

"Cause you'll lose?"

Seungcheol met Jeonghan's eyes. Seungcheol pushed his shoulders back and smirked. "I don't want to play cause what example will we set for the kids playing games like this?"

Jeonghan slowly slithered toward him. "They don't have to know."

Now expecting it, Seungcheol was mostly unaffected as fingertips brushed against his shoulder. "Are you suggesting a secret game?"

Jeonghan shrugged again. 

Seungcheol looked up at the ceiling for a brief second. Pride and competition pumped dangerously in his blood. 

He dropped his gaze back to his friend. "Fine."

Jeonghan grinned and stopped a foot away from him. _"Great."_ His eyes twinkled mischievously, and Seungcheol could sense himself getting cornered. He took a step back and jumped slightly as he hit the sink. 

"But we have to have rules," He managed to squawk out. 

Jeonghan took a step back as well. "Okay, fair enough."

Seungcheol nodded and tried to settle into the authoritative tone he used when the younger ones got too rambunctious. Jeonghan was clearly amused because he raised an eyebrow as Seungcheol spoke. "Rule one. No one can find out about this game."

"Okay...are we allowed to play in public?"

Seungcheol thought it over. "Sure, but let's keep it PG among the others."

"Great. Is that it?"

"Let's set stakes. Whenever someone wins a game, the other has to buy the other food."

"Deal!" Jeonghan stuck his hand out. 

Seungcheol shook it in agreement, but then he smirked. With his strength, he yanked Jeonghan closer until they were chest to chest.

Jeonghan only raised an eyebrow. Seungcheol let go of Jeonghan's hand and slipped them under Jeonghan's cotton t-shirt.

Jeonghan shivered under his touch as he skimmed his back.

"You are going to have to try a lot harder than that," Jeonghan sang.

Seungcheol narrowed his eyes. He brought the two impossibly closer and leaned his head in for a kiss. He hovered a few centimeters away from him. He wanted to curse as Jeonghan didn't even flinch. He stood there, and Jeonghan even dared to lean in closer. 

Seungcheol's breath hitched, but he fought the urge to tear away. Instead, he slipped one hand out of Jeonghan's t-shirt and brought it up to cup Jeonghan's face. He smiled sweetly at him and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.

Jeonghan drew back first with a startled gasp.

Seungcheol laughed in glee. "Oh my god, you can handle a guy's hands under your shirt, but not someone touching your hair?"

"Shut up," Jeonghan blushed.

Seungcheol tried to quiet down, mindful the others were still asleep. He patted Jeonghan's shoulder and walked around him. "You owe me breakfast."

"Don't get cocky now," Jeonghan teased. "It's not a good look."

"I won't," Seungcheol grinned, stepping out of the bathroom. He was going to win this easy; he had already found Jeonghan's weakness. This was going to be great.

He crawled into bed, doing a mental tally.

Seungcheol: 1  
Jeonghan: 0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I will be editing this entire work to reupload it into something I am happy with. Some plot points might change, some things might get cut, some things might get added. This is mostly for my own enjoyment, but I hope you can enjoy it as well.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter [twinklingpaopu](https://twitter.com/twinklingpaopu)
> 
> *I also kindly ask for those of you who have been sharing the old version of this fic, please stop immediately. Thank you.


	2. Pinkies

Seungcheol groaned as he heard his phone alarm blast that annoying 'wake up' song. He swore he was never going to let Seungkwan anywhere near his phone again. He blindly reached for it and shut off the alarm right before throwing the covers over his face. The temptation to go back to sleep was powerful, but he knew they had a full day of busy schedules. Still, that tiny bit of laziness crept up and made him shout, "Jeonghan, go wake up the kids!"

"They don't listen to me for stuff like that," Jeonghan said.

Seungcheol's eyes flew open. Jeonghan's voice had sounded a lot closer than he had expected. Slowly, he brought down the covers and saw Jeonghan hovering a few centimeters over his face. Seungcheol yelped. Embarrassingly, he knocked Jeonghan's arm and rolled off his mattress. 

Jeonghan chuckled, flopping onto Seungcheol's mattress face first. "I win," Jeonghan declared, rubbing his cheek into the pillow with a giant yawn. 

It took a while for Seungcheol to understand what Jeonghan had meant. It was way too early for all this. He rubbed his bedhead and stood up. He lightly nudged Jeonghan's butt with his foot. "That doesn't count. I was sleeping."

"It was never in the rules," Jeonghan smiled at him. "I want doenjang jjigae."

Seungcheol pouted. "Alright, alright," Seungcheol said, mainly to get Jeonghan out of his bed—sometimes he could be just as tricky as Jihoon to wake. "Just help me wake the others...and hey!" He shouted as an afterthought, "You owe me some too, you know."

Jeonghan moaned as Seungcheol pulled him out of bed. "Fine!" He let out another sleepy yawn. Abruptly, life was restored to him as he grinned at Seungcheol, "You get Jihoon," he said, dashing out of the room.

Seungcheol squawked in dissatisfaction. He stared distastefully at the open doorway for a long moment before pulling out his phone. He dialed the number of Jeonghan's favorite takeout place around the corner and put in an order. After handing over his credit card information, his shoulders slumped—Jihoon was first then. 

When everyone was in the kitchen, scavenging the fridge for leftovers and searching for socks hidden underneath tables and cushions, the doorbell rang. Seungcheol slid on socked feet to the front door. He froze as he saw the delivery man holding up a bag with a logo different from the restaurant he had ordered. 

"Oh great! It's here!"

Seungcheol slightly flinched as Jeonghan suddenly materialized behind his shoulder. He pushed past him and grabbed the offered bag. "Whaaa?" Seungcheol stammered. Jeonghan patted him on the shoulder and disappeared down the hall. The delivery man left, and a moment later, another arrived. He thanked the man and padded back inside. 

Most of the others were seated in the living room, crowding one of their managers as he passed out food to everyone. If the manager moved any slower, Seungcheol was sure he would need to intervene to pull him from the fray.

"Oh, Seungcheol!" Their manager announced when he saw him. "I got you some—oh, you got your own food?"

"I'll take his!" Mingyu announced, aiming for Seungcheol's share at the same time as Soonyoung. A brief scuffle occurred.

Seungkwan leaned back on his ankles and looked at Seungcheol's bag oddly, "I thought you didn't like that place." 

Seungcheol's eyes opened wide. He suddenly felt foolish holding the bag.

"He doesn't," Jeonghan declared, coming into the living room. He bumped Seungcheol's side, holding out a large bowl of steaming soup. 

Seungcheol nearly fumbled with the bag as Jeonghan traded with him.

Jeonghan smirked and went to sit beside Seungkwan, opening up his winning share. 

Seungcheol gulped and sat beside Jeonghan. 

Everyone, including their manager, gave them weird looks.

"What?" Seungcheol asked, sipping his soup. 

"Did you two just buy each other food?" Jihoon commented, stealing rice from Soonyoung's plate without anyone noticing. 

"That's ridiculous," Jeonghan answered quickly. "His food just came first, and I thought it would be nice to prepare it for him."

"Oh, prepare it, did you?" Seungcheol questioned with a sarcastic note.

"I did. It's the least I can do after last night," Jeonghan teased without missing a beat.

Everyone decided it was too early in the morning to gather the meaning of all this, so they let it go. 

|~~*~~|

It was late into the night, and the members were still in the practice room. All of them were hyperfocused on Soonyoung's movements. Jihoon and the other producers had finally finished their new song, and the group was determined to set choreography to match their debut track. 

Some of the choreography was challenging, and despite the countless run-throughs, many members were struggling to memorize it. 

At some point, a slight break was needed to keep pushing for the rest of the night.

Junhui was curled on top of the mats pushed against the corner of the room. Mingyu and Minghao were nearly falling asleep against one of the mirrors, while the others were scattered around the room. Seungcheol found himself leaning against one of the walls closest to the air conditioner while he sipped from his water bottle.

His eyes fell on Jeonghan from across the room. Jeonghan was sipping from his own water bottle, but he lowered it when he caught Seungcheol staring. A tiny smirk surfaced at the corner of his lips. Slowly, he raised the water bottle to his lips again and twisted his head to the side to reveal the smooth column of his neck and his Adam's apple bopping with each sip of water. 

Seungcheol froze.

Jeonghan lowered the water bottle and locked eyes with him again. A stray droplet of water clung to his upper lip, and Jeonghan swiped his tongue over it. 

Seungcheol fought a shiver wanting to erupt from his body. Jeonghan's perceptive eyes clearly caught the movement, and Jeonghan's cocked his head to the side with a self-satisfied smirk. Seungcheol bit his tongue. Of course, Jeonghan would cure his boredom like this. 

"Okay, is everyone ready to start again!" Soonyoung cried with too much pep in his voice.

The others made half-hearted cheers, so Soonyoung repeated his question. The group replied more enthusiastically. 

They returned to dancing in front of the mirrors, focusing on their synchronicity. As they ran through the chorus for the fifth time, Soonyoung stepped back to observe them all. Whatever he saw urged him to have everyone sit down and watch him. 

The entire group sat in front of Soonyoung as he walked them slowly through the eight-count. Seungcheol had already memorized the choreography, so he lazily paid attention. 

His eyes kept occasionally fluttering closed but immediately opened wide when he felt a hand on his lower back. Seungcheol sat up straighter. Fingers pushed against the knob of his spine. His head whipped to his left to glare at Jeonghan, but the younger male's gaze was clearly focused on Soonyoung. Seungcheol took a deep breath and attempted to do the same. However, as the seconds ticked by and Jeonghan's fingers began to play with the hem of his shirt, Seungcheol found it more difficult to ignore. 

He squirmed against the hardwood floor, utterly failing to shake off Jeonghan's hand. There was a long moment where the hand stopped moving and just pushed firmly against his lower back. Heat gathered there, and it was unlike any other heat he had experienced before. 

He gulped.

Then the hand was gone, and a relieved sigh escape his lips. Not a second later, the same hand bunched up the back of his shirt, and fingernails raked slowly across his lower back.

It made him sit impossible straighter and bite down on his inner cheek. 

The hand then moved in lazy circles, sometimes the tips of them teasingly dipping under his waistband. Seungcheol tightened his lips, afraid to make a sound. 

"Then it goes 5, 6—" Soonyoung froze as he caught something in the mirror. He spotted Jeonghan's fingers beneath Seungcheol's pants. Soonyoung's eyes flung open, and then he nearly tripped over his feet. 

No one noticed as Seungcheol yanked Jeonghan's hand away as everyone was preoccupied with Soonyoung, who had fallen on his face. The dancer assured everyone was okay, and as he stood, he looked at Seungcheol with confusion. 

The leader was much too embarrassed to look the dancer in the eye, so he pretended to find a recent paper cut on his finger extremely fascinating. 

After a few minutes, Seungcheol dared to look at Jeonghan. The piece of shit was wearing his proud smirk. 

Seungcheol shook his head—a silent promise that he would get him back. 

Seungcheol: 1

Jeonghan: 2

|~~*~~|

Seungcheol refused to play Gay Chicken with Jeonghan for several days. It kept the game exciting, and each time he leaned in toward Jeonghan, the other would jump back in shock. He feigned he had done nothing wrong. His actions lured Jeonghan into the worst contradiction. Jeonghan had developed a false sense of security that Seungcheol no longer wanted to play and simultaneously created a fear that Seungcheol was just biding his time. 

So when it was a lucky day, and the group didn't have to go to the company for practice, they decided to have fun. Some members went out to the mall, and others went to go play some soccer. The only ones in the dorm that day were Jeonghan and Seungcheol. 

Seungcheol chose that moment to strike. 

Jeonghan had fallen asleep on the couch while watching tv. He was lying face down, and his face was squished uncomfortably against the cushions. Seungcheol grinned at the state of his friend.

Taking caution to not let their body parts touch, Seungcheol climbed over him. Using his upper body strength, he leaned down carefully and blew a breath in Jeonghan's ear.

Jeonghan woke up with a start, but he grew overly still when he noticed who it was. 

"What were you watching?" Seungcheol whispered, looking at the tv that was still on.

He heard Jeonghan gulp. Still, he answered, "Unpretty Rapstar."

Seungcheol brought his forearms down, so his entire body rested on top of Jeonghan. He made a show of getting comfortable, "Oh, who was on?"

He felt Jeonghan shift underneath him, and Seungcheol grinned, ready to declare himself the winner, but all Jeonghan did was lie flat on his back to stare at Seungcheol directly. Seungcheol raised a brow and brought his weight down on Jeonghan again. He rested his forearms by Jeonghan's head. 

"I don't remember. I fell asleep before I could catch it." Jeonghan yawned and stretched under him like a cat—his back arching. 

Jeonghan brought his own arms up and placed them around Seungcheol's neck.

"I did see this one girl starting a fight." Jeonghan's hand began to rake through his hair.

Seungcheol cursed mentally. Jeonghan was trying to take control; he had to get it back.

He leaned further down and placed his lips by Jeonghan's jaw. Jeonghan scoffed and tangled their legs.

"Oh, that really narrows the episode down," Seungcheol muttered, his lips moving against Jeonghan's skin with each word. As he did, he caught the odor of the cheap industrial body wash the entire group used. Typically, he didn't like the scent, but on Jeonghan, it smelled different—he liked it. 

Jeonghan's suddenly stopped petting his hair. 

"Every episode has some fight," Seungcheol muttered against his skin again, this time moving to his neck.

Jeonghan's fingers tightened in his hair. Seungcheol continued, "Like every episode has Jessi dissing someone in English." He trailed further down his neck. His lips moved against the gulp of Jeonghan's Adam's apple. He noticed Jeonghan was wearing a v-neck. He wiggled down and placed his lips on Jeonghan's collarbone. Jeonghan's head fell back against the couch as Seungcheol mouthed against the skin. 

A few moments of silence passed by like this and Jeonghan wasn't pulling away. Seungcheol felt competitive and didn't want to fall behind, so he moved his hand to place his thumb on Jeonghan's chin, catching his lower lip. His index and middle finger sneaked around his jaw and pressed against his pulse. 

He could feel it beating rapidly against the pads of his fingers.

Seungcheol grinned against Jeonghan's skin. He pressed a kiss against the collarbone and sat up to catch Jeonghan's gaze. When he had it, he tilted his head to the side and grinned, "Hey, your heart's beating faster than average. Are you feeling okay?"

Jeonghan's pulse stuttered against his fingers, and a choked gasp escaped Jeonghan's mouth. Suddenly, Jeonghan's hip crashed against his. 

Seungcheol gasped in pain and fell off the couch, unable to contain his laughter. He clutched his side, feigning it hurt more than it really did. 

Jeonghan flipped over the couch quickly, lying with his stomach flat against the cushions. He glared at Seungcheol. 

Seungcheol let out a few more giggles and leaned forward. He tucked his chin on the cushions and stared innocently at Jeonghan. "I want ramyun."

Jeonghan's eyes twinkled mischievously, "Is that a proposition?"

It took Seungcheol a while to figure out what Jeonghan had meant. When he caught Jeonghan's innuendo, Seungcheol tapped the top of Jeonghan's head harsher than usual. He stood up and smugly declared, "Shut up. I won."

Jeonghan yawned and turned his head away from him, "Whatever, now let me go back to sleep."

Seungcheol ruffled Jeonghan's hair before leaving him alone in the living room. He walked to his room with a skip in his step. 

Seungcheol: 2

Jeonghan: 2

  
  


|~~*~~|

Seungcheol was lying in bed. It was in the middle of the night, and he was overwhelmed by a bundle of feelings. He raised his hand to his face and fiddled with the ring on his pinky finger. Their CEO had just awarded them their rings, marking them as an official group, under the name of SEVENTEEN. Seungcheol couldn't help but feel excited, but he was also afraid. He was announced as the leader of the hip hop unit and the leader of the entire group. 

In some aspects, he knew he was already the leader in some way. He took care of his members, listened to them when they had problems, spoke on their behalf, but now...he didn't know. To officially be marked as the leader was scary. If everything failed, it would be on him. Was he ready for such responsibility? 

He shut his eyes and fought the urge to release a shaky breath. Admitting outwardly that he was scared or nervous wasn't allowed anymore. He was the leader.

Seungcheol's eyes opened wide when he felt his mattress dip. He spotted Jeonghan kneeling down to crawl into his bed. Without any permission, he went under the covers and faced him.

Seungcheol waited for him to explain why he was here.

"I could hear you were still awake. You breathe loud," Jeonghan whispered, minding that Joshua was sleeping on the bunk bed a few feet away from Seungcheol's mattress on the floor. 

Seungcheol didn't reply. He licked his lips and tucked his hand back under the covers. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jeonghan whispered again. 

Seungcheol shook his head. He reminded himself that as a leader, he couldn't place his problems on other people. That's not what a leader did. 

Jeonghan frowned and reached out under the covers for his hand. He felt him linking their pinkies, the one that had the ring. He looked back at Jeonghan and saw him give a small smile. His mind was taken back to that day when he met Jeonghan. 

The image was enough to have him leaning in close, so their foreheads were nearly touching. "I'm scared," he replied honestly. He hated the way his voice shook. 

"About being the leader?"

Seungcheol was shocked that Jeonghan knew what was plaguing him. He nodded and looked away in shame. 

"Don't be," Jeonghan said, "You've always been our leader, and you've been a great one so far."

"But I failed the others who didn't..." His voice cracked a bit. God, he sounded so pitiful. 

Jeonghan's smile fell. "That wasn't your fault." 

"But—"

"—No. It's done. You can't worry about it. You focus on us now. You focus on  _ our _ group." 

Seungcheol nodded. That was right. If he wanted to be a great leader, he couldn't dwell on the past. He had to look to the future, and this was it. His eleven members slept soundly in the dorms, and Jeonghan was lying beside him and offering comfort no one else could give. 

"Plus," Jeonghan continued, much more sadly. "If anyone is to be upset, it should be me."

Seungcheol was taken back. "What do you mean?"

"Seungcheol—I only—I haven't trained as long as the others and I got in. I didn't deserve this; what if I just got in because of my looks?" His other hand reached out for his hair that the stylist had been urging him to grow out. He pulled at it self-consciously. 

Seungcheol squeezed their pinkies harder. "Jeonghan, you are deserving of this. You are a talented singer."

"Not as talented as Seungkwan or Seokmin. I'm average; they're always hiding my vocals behind Jihoon's. What if I make a mistake, and they cut me from the group before we debut?"

"I'm not going to let that happen," Seungcheol said with utmost certainty. 

Jeonghan met his eyes. They were so sad. Seungcheol realized he didn't like to see his friend like this. It hurt him in ways his mind could not yet comprehend. Instead, his mind whirled in ways he could cheer up his best friend. He remembered the game. That always brought life to Jeonghan. He took a chance and leaned his head down, so his lips were near Jeonghan's. 

Jeonghan's eyes opened wide, and then realization seemed to hit him too because his signature smirk overtook his face. It was a much nicer look than his miserable one. 

Jeonghan leaned in closer.

Seungcheol licked his lips and wiggled a little on the bed to draw even nearer. He noticed Jeonghan didn't dare to get closer, so he decided to take the impulsive action. He closed the small gap and pressed his lips against Jeonghan's. 

Both of them froze as their lips were tightly pressed together. Seungcheol expected Jeonghan to pull back immediately, but he remained rooted in place. Seungcheol opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them and saw Jeonghan with his own eyes closed. Jeonghan's left eyebrow was twitching slightly. 

Seungcheol wondered what he was thinking of. Was he as prideful as Seungcheol as not wanting to pull away? Was he growing broke as much as he was? These last few games were starting to dry out his wallet. At the moment, he had lost count on who was ahead. Was it 9 to 7, or was it 10 to 9? 

They stayed like statues for a long minute. Seungcheol was getting tired of being in this position and was tempted to move away, but then he felt Jeonghan's lips moving.  _ Oh shit.  _ Jeonghan was actually kissing him. Jeonghan's lips pressed softly against him, almost as if trying to get him to move as well. But the sudden tightness in his heart startled Seungcheol. He pulled back with a gasp. 

Jeonghan's eyes were wide with fright. 

Seungcheol immediately smiled at him, assuring him silently it was okay. He made sure to console Jeonghan; it was just a game. He wasn't mad, just slightly startled. Jeonghan smiled genuinely. 

Seungcheol rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. He belatedly realized their pinkies were still linked. On impulse, he sat up and crawled past Jeonghan. 

"Where are you going?" Jeonghan asked when Seungcheol was pulling pants on over his boxers. He searched for a shirt. 

"Out. C'mon," Seungcheol threw one of his own clean shirts at Jeonghan. "Get dressed," he whispered excitedly. 

Jeonghan shed his pajamas and pulled on the long sleeve shirt without question. When they were both dressed, both of them snuck out of the dorms. 

When the door was safely closed behind him, Seungcheol grinned at Jeonghan, "C'mon. Let's go for some ramyun. You pay for me, and I'll pay for you."

"But I just won that last game; you owe me food." 

"Think of it as a downpayment for the other games I'll win," Seungcheol said cockily. 

Jeonghan snuck a glance at the door and looked back at him. He nodded with a bright smile. 

Seungcheol pulled at his hand, and the two misfits enjoyed their night in between the border of being idols and being friends. It would be their last night together without any fear of being stalked by someone—their last night as regular people. They walked together down the street, linking their pinkies—the one that did not have the ring—together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't change much in this chapter but added a few more details and fixed grammar. I hadn't realized how bad my grammar was for this fic. 
> 
> Please leave a comment :)
> 
> Follow me on twitter [twinklingpaopu](https://twitter.com/twinklingpaopu)


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